Posts Tagged ‘Kagyu Lineage’

Karma Kagyu Meditation Forms

Saturday, July 23rd, 2011

The pictures below show some of the most common forms used in the meditation practices of the Karma Kagyu tradition of Buddhism. They are from the website www.thanka.buddhizmusma.hu.

Click on any of the thumbnails to enlarge the image.

16th Karmapa Thangka2nd Karmapa ThangkaRadiant Goddess ThangkaBlack Coat ThangkaKarma Kagyu Refuge Tree ThangkaDiamond Mind ThangkaLoving Eyes ThangkaRed Wisdom ThangkaHighest Bliss Thangka

Top row, left to right: 16th Karmapa, 2nd Karmapa, Black Coat in union with Radiant Goddess. Middle row left to right: Black Coat, the Karma Kagyu Refuge Tree, Diamond Mind. Bottom row left to right: Loving Eyes, Red Wisdom, Buddha of Highest Bliss in union with Red Wisdom.

Naropa’s prophecy to Marpa

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

Marpa

Marpa

During his third and final visit to India to meet Naropa, his teacher, Marpa asked Naropa to prophesise the way the Kagyu lineage would expand and flourish:

Although in this life, your family lineage will be interrupted, your dharma lineage will flow on like a wide river as long as the teachings of the Buddha remain. In the view of some impure ordinary men, you will appear to gratify yourself in this life with sense pleasures. Your desires will seem unchanging, like a carving in rock, so solid and so great. On the other hand, since you yourself have seen dharmata, samsara will be self-liberated, like a snake uncoiling. All the future students of the lineage will be like the children of lions and garudas, and each generation will be better than the last.

– Naropa (1016-1100)

From “The Rain of Wisdom” by the Nalanda Translation Committee (Shambhala, 1980)

Marpa and Naropa on the development of the Kagyu Lineage

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

Statues of Naropa and Marpa carved from rhinocerous horn by the 10th Karmapa

Marpa: “Please be so kind as to prophecy for me the way our dharma lineage will expand and flourish. Since ultimately there is no difference between the sutras and tantras in their view and realisation, one can hold the teachings – what has been told and what has been realised – of both. Is it necessary that in external appearance one adopt the robes of a sravaka and practice the pratimoksha? It isn’t, is it?…”

Naropa: “In the future of your dharma lineage, there will be many who assume the external appearance of a sravaka. Inwardly, they will realise the meaning of mahayana, dwell on the bhumis; and be surrounded by bodhisattvas. Some others of varied appearance will make the teachings of the practice lineage flourish and expand.”

From “The Rain of Wisdom” by the Nalanda Translation Committee (Shambhala, 1980)

Pictures are from the book “Karmapa: The Black Hat Lama of Tibet” Nik Douglas & Meryl White. The statues of the early Kagyu lineage holders carved by the 10th Karmapa are among the relics hopefully (see here and here) still housed in Rumtek Monastery.

 

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye on “the mantra approach”

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye (1813-1899) was one of the most prominent Buddhist masters in the 19th century and holder of the Karma Kagyu lineage.

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye (1813-1899)

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye (1813-1899)

“In the Mantra approach, with its many methods and few austerities, a person of sharp faculties and high intelligence may gather the two accumulations during all activities and never do even a trace of anything meaningless.”

– Jamgon Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye, The Outline of Essential Points – Published as “Creation & completion: essential points of tantric meditation” (Wisdom Publications, 2005)

Lama Ole Nydahl on Happiness

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

Lama Ole Nydahl gave this talk at a Seminar on Psychology in Basel, Switzerland. It was originally printed in the magazine Buddhism Today in 1998 and can also be read here.

Lama Ole Nydahl

Happiness, by Lama Ole Nydahl

What do Buddhist teachings say concerning happiness?.. Basically, in Buddhism one makes a separation between conditioned and unconditioned happiness, between a relative and an absolute kind. Relative happiness has to do with experiences, absolute happiness has to do with experiencer itself. When one watches the outer world, the factories, streets, houses and cars, it is evident that they were made because beings wanted to experience something pleasant. Hospitals and prisons, on the other hand, were built in order to avoid certain kinds of suffering. Actually, beings constantly try to change outer conditions with the aim of (more…)

Karol Sleczek UK Tour, March 2010

Thursday, April 8th, 2010
Karol Sleczek

Karol Sleczek teaching in Newcastle, March 2010

From 1-21 March 2010 travelling teacher Karol Sleczek made an epic teaching tour of our UK Diamond Way groups and centres. Karol has been practicing Buddhism for over 30 years. He was one of the first students of Lama Ole Nydahl in his home country of Poland and has been instrumental in the establishment of Diamond Way Buddhism there – today Poland has over 60 Diamond Way Buddhist centres including six retreat centres. Karol, who is also trained in classical philosophy, has been travelling internationally for many years giving lectures and courses on Buddhism at Lama Ole Nydahl’s request. He is highly respected for (more…)

17th Karmapa in London 2009 – Video

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010

This video is from H.H. 17th Karmapa’s visit to London on 30 June 2009, when he gave the empowerment of Marpa in the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Hall of the Southbank Centre. In his speech before the empowerment, Gyalwa Karmapa explained the significance of Marpa to the Kagyu Lineage.

Hannah Nydahl “Mother of Buddhism” (17 April 1946 – 1 April 2007)

Thursday, April 1st, 2010
Hannah Nydahl (17 April 1946 – 1 April 2007)

Hannah Nydahl (17 April 1946 – 1 April 2007)

Three years ago today Hannah Nydahl left for the pure lands. Deeply respected for her work, devotion and accomplishments as a Buddhist practitioner, her life was dedicated to establishing Diamond Way Buddhism in the West and protecting the Karma Kagyu Lineage. Her wisdom, kindness and compassion is timeless, beyond coming and going and continuously blesses our work and practice.